Famous Viruses
There have been many destructive viruses that have destroyed lots of valuable information and even equipment over the years. Some of the most destructive and most famous will be discussed on this page. In 2010, Stuxnet targeted software that controlled uranium-enriching machinery in Iran. It caused these expensive machines to spin out of control and essentially self-destruct. Stuxnet was the first virus to target real-world or physical damage. Also in 2009, a widespread virus called the Conficker Virus emerged. Conficker was actually a worm that infected millions of PCs creating a huge network of connected computers that were all controlled remotely. However, the motive behind Conficker is still unknown. It was never used for any known purpose. In 2008, another famous virus, agent.btz emerged. This virus spread through thumb drives and installed malware and stole data. Agent.btz was first found on Pentagon computers causing the Pentagon to issue a temporary ban on using thumb drives. Agent.btz even caused the United States to open a new military department, called the U.S. Cyber Command. Zeus, first discovered in 2007, is a type of malware that targets personal information. Zeus obtains passwords, social security numbers, addresses, and even personal questions used in tough-to-hack bank logins. Zeus sells these identities on the black market for a fee. PoisonIvy came on to the scene in 2005. PoisonIvy allows a hacker to control a user’s computer without their knowledge. A hacker can then record audio through the hacked computer’s microphone and even video via the webcam. These attacks appear to have originated somewhere in China. In 2004, a worm called MyDoom infected millions of computers. It spread through email as what appeared to be a bounced message. When the email was opened, the worm spread to the email addresses in the victim’s address book. MyDoom was the fastest spreading worm of its time. In 2001, the Code Red worm was created. It had the ability to deface and even take down websites. Code Red most famously took down the whitehouse.gov website. Considered the first socially engineered computer virus, Love Letter came on to the scene in 2000. Much like some other famous viruses, this virus spread through email. It sent users an email with an attachment that was titled “I love you”. When they opened this attachment, the virus proceeded to overwrite their image files. Probably the most famous macro virus was the Melissa virus. In 1999, reports began to surface about a virus that infected Microsoft Word 97 and Word 2000. The virus spread through Word documents in email attachments. If the user that opened the file had macros enabled, the virus was able to infect that computer and to spread. Viruses can and have caused major damage. Not only have viruses destroyed computers and robbed countless innocent victims of personal information and money, but they also have the capability to destroy machinery. As society becomes more and more digital, viruses can do more and more damage. By making people aware of what viruses have done and can do we can help to increase awareness of the need to stop and prevent them. By: Evan Beiler References Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University Smithsonian